Formulation of standards and specifications for biomaterials and instrumentation in dentistry requires development and evaluation of standard test methods that can be used in different laboratories with reliability. Standard test methods and test equipment many times ultimately lead to improvements in characteristics of dental materials and instrumentation usually through modification of existing products or development of new products for dentistry which meet the minimum acceptance criteria of the various specifications. The objectives of this proposal are: 1) to improve dental instruments and materials by development and evaluation of test methods, 2) to design or modify test dies, fixtures and instrumentation suitable for use in the evaluation of dental instruments, equipment, and materials, and 3) to evaluate physical, mechanical and chemical properties of dental instruments, equipment, and materials which can be used in setting minimum quality limits in national and international specifications.